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KF5JRV > TECH 01.09.16 13:31l 41 Lines 2129 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 1220_KF5JRV
Read: GUEST
Subj: Meteorological rocketsondes
Path: IW8PGT<CX2SA<N0KFQ<KF5JRV
Sent: 160901/1115Z 1220@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA BPQK1.4.65
Meteorological rocketsondes
After WWII, weather forecasts produced by the Meteorological Office began to
be increasingly used for civil applications. During the 1950s, the Met Office
produced specialised forecasts for pigeon races, seasonal forecasts for
farmers, and predicted the likelihood of train disruption from ice on the
conductor rail. In particular, problems and safety concerns in military and
civil aviation determined a significant portion of the meteorological research
conducted.
As aircraft were flown at increasingly higher elevations and for longer
distances, understanding atmospheric conditions at these high altitudes was
essential for the growing aviation industry. With the development of
supersonic aircraft, some theorists originally believed that these planes
could fly above the weather; however, it quickly became evident that
meteorologists needed to better understand atmospheric conditions even in the
upper stratosphere. During the 1950s and 1960s, rockets were developed to
propel radiosondes 65km into the stratosphere to gather the required
meteorological data.
The Whipple's Skua rocketsonde was launched at the South Uist site located in
the Scottish Hebrides. Designed by Bristol Aerojet and R. P. E. Westcott, the
meteorological rocket was five inches in diameter and employed a two-stage
system.
At launch, the first section of the motor burned for 0.2 seconds and then
separated from the main body when 20 metres above the ground. A second motor
then burned for over half a minute and launched the rocketsonde 65km into the
atmosphere. Just before the rocket began to drop back to Earth, a mechanism
released the radiosonde fixed with a parachute.
On its descent, the radiosonde collected meteorological data. The Mullard
Space Science Laboratory and The University College of Wales installed
instruments to measure ion and electron densities on the re-designed Skua 2
radiosondes, which were launched in 1968. Between 1967 and 1980 more than 500
rockets were successfully deployed at the South Uist site.
73, Scott kf5jrv
KF5JRV @ KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA
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